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  1. Suffering

Just Here

A young friend of mine recently fell victim to an unexpected and horrific illness. For some time, it seemed that he would certainly die; the progress of the disease led expectations relentlessly in that direction. Prayers (­including my own) for God’s mercy multiplied with a profound desperation. . . . . Continue Reading »

Happiness for All

A few years ago, when a group of students at Emory University prepared to demonstrate against a controversial speaker, I asked a senior why they wanted to do so. She had a background different from that of the typical selective school attendee, a hard-edged one, and she’d already told me that . . . . Continue Reading »

Christ Crowned with Thorns

To really hear what I’m about to sayIs probably impossible apartFrom taking in the painting at its heart.From reeling, in the process, at the wayThe blood, beyond its trickling down his brow,Has gotten in his vitreum somehow. How otherwise explain the ruinousRed of his eyes? If that isn’t the . . . . Continue Reading »

Recalled to Life

Crippled by a stroke, my aunt Miriam spent the last seventeen years of her life in a succession of nursing homes. Once, she had been the skilled seamstress who for years took pride in sewing much of the female apparel in our family, and who sought out opportunities to cook and bake for all of us. . . . . Continue Reading »

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